• Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023

29-2081 Opticians, Dispensing

Design, measure, fit, and adapt lenses and frames for client according to written optical prescription or specification. Assist client with inserting, removing, and caring for contact lenses. Assist client with selecting frames. Measure customer for size of eyeglasses and coordinate frames with facial and eye measurements and optical prescription. Prepare work order for optical laboratory containing instructions for grinding and mounting lenses in frames. Verify exactness of finished lens spectacles. Adjust frame and lens position to fit client. May shape or reshape frames. Includes contact lens opticians.

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National estimates for Opticians, Dispensing
Industry profile for Opticians, Dispensing
Geographic profile for Opticians, Dispensing

National estimates for Opticians, Dispensing:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Opticians, Dispensing:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
76,770	1.5 %	$ 22.86	$ 47,560	0.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for Opticians, Dispensing:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 15.18	$ 17.49	$ 21.23	$ 27.64	$ 33.61
Annual Wage (2)	$ 31,560	$ 36,380	$ 44,170	$ 57,490	$ 69,900

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Industry profile for Opticians, Dispensing:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Opticians, Dispensing are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Opticians, Dispensing, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Opticians, Dispensing:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	32,130	2.82	$ 20.50	$ 42,640
Health and Personal Care Retailers	18,630	1.68	$ 24.23	$ 50,390
General Merchandise Retailers	15,900	0.49	$ 24.85	$ 51,690
Offices of Physicians	7,710	0.27	$ 22.87	$ 47,570
Outpatient Care Centers	1,410	0.13	$ 35.39	$ 73,620

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Opticians, Dispensing:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	32,130	2.82	$ 20.50	$ 42,640
Health and Personal Care Retailers	18,630	1.68	$ 24.23	$ 50,390
General Merchandise Retailers	15,900	0.49	$ 24.85	$ 51,690
Offices of Physicians	7,710	0.27	$ 22.87	$ 47,570
Outpatient Care Centers	1,410	0.13	$ 35.39	$ 73,620

Top paying industries for Opticians, Dispensing:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Outpatient Care Centers	1,410	0.13	$ 35.39	$ 73,620
Management of Companies and Enterprises	70	(7)	$ 29.98	$ 62,350
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	200	(7)	$ 27.04	$ 56,250
Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	140	0.02	$ 25.06	$ 52,120
General Merchandise Retailers	15,900	0.49	$ 24.85	$ 51,690

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Geographic profile for Opticians, Dispensing:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Opticians, Dispensing are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Opticians, Dispensing, see the Create Customized Tables function.

States with the highest employment level in Opticians, Dispensing:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
California	8,100	0.45	0.89	$ 28.83	$ 59,960
Texas	6,720	0.50	0.98	$ 18.22	$ 37,890
Florida	5,260	0.55	1.09	$ 25.08	$ 52,160
Illinois	3,880	0.65	1.28	$ 19.83	$ 41,240
New York	3,830	0.41	0.81	$ 28.69	$ 59,680

States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Opticians, Dispensing:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
South Dakota	420	0.94	1.86	$ 19.08	$ 39,690
North Dakota	360	0.85	1.68	$ 20.19	$ 42,000
Nevada	1,170	0.79	1.57	$ 25.43	$ 52,900
Delaware	340	0.73	1.44	$ 18.67	$ 38,840
Michigan	3,120	0.72	1.42	$ 20.53	$ 42,710

Top paying states for Opticians, Dispensing:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts	1,270	0.35	0.69	$ 31.89	$ 66,330
Connecticut	570	0.35	0.68	$ 30.87	$ 64,220
New Jersey	2,170	0.52	1.02	$ 29.50	$ 61,350
California	8,100	0.45	0.89	$ 28.83	$ 59,960
New York	3,830	0.41	0.81	$ 28.69	$ 59,680

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Opticians, Dispensing:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	4,030	0.42	0.84	$ 29.78	$ 61,940
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	3,070	0.68	1.35	$ 20.22	$ 42,050
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	3,040	0.49	0.97	$ 28.79	$ 59,880
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	1,710	0.43	0.85	$ 19.16	$ 39,860
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	1,700	0.54	1.06	$ 17.99	$ 37,430
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	1,550	0.81	1.61	$ 21.10	$ 43,880
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	1,390	0.45	0.89	$ 26.83	$ 55,810
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	1,350	0.48	0.95	$ 22.56	$ 46,930
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	1,280	0.45	0.90	$ 23.05	$ 47,950
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ	1,230	0.54	1.06	$ 22.92	$ 47,670

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Opticians, Dispensing:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Dothan, AL	120	2.07	4.09	$ 14.81	$ 30,800
Grand Forks, ND-MN	70	1.47	2.91	$ 19.85	$ 41,280
Kokomo, IN	50	1.36	2.69	$ 18.36	$ 38,190
Bismarck, ND	100	1.35	2.66	$ 20.14	$ 41,880
Muncie, IN	50	1.16	2.29	$ 17.09	$ 35,550
Lansing-East Lansing, MI	240	1.15	2.28	$ 19.38	$ 40,320
Bloomington, IL	110	1.15	2.28	$ 18.76	$ 39,010
Grand Island, NE	50	1.13	2.24	$ 18.40	$ 38,280
Michigan City-La Porte, IN	40	1.11	2.19	$ 17.75	$ 36,920
Carbondale-Marion, IL	60	1.11	2.19	$ 18.27	$ 38,000